Apparatus for galvanizing metal tubes, rods, &amp;c.



F. WERTH. APPARATUS FOR GALVANIZING METAL-TUBES, RODS, 6w. APPLIOATION FILED DBO.11, 1809.

970,149. Patented Sept. 13,1910.

P 5 \i 3NVENTOR. F'E DE moWERTH UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FEDERICO WERTH, OF MILAN, ITALY.

APPARATUS FOR GALVANIZING METAL TUBES, RODS, 8w.

Specification of Iietters Patent. Patented Sept, 13, 1910.

Application filed December 11, 1909. Serial No. 532,634.

. clear, and exact description of the same.

The present invention has for its object an apparatus for galvanizing metal tubes, rods and the like, either on the surface alone or both on the inside and outside of tubes. The

apparatus of this kind heretofore employed comprises, broadly speaking, a mechanism arranged upon a rotatable shaft and always immersed in the electrolyte. With this arrangement it is only posslble to o crate with or a gear wheel -b. Gear wheels --c-,

anodes which are arranged on t e sides of the vessel containing the electrolyte; with this method it is also only possible to arran e circular disks or drums on the rotary sha' tand the size of the diameter of the disks can'be but small for practical, purposes, so that only a small number .of tubes can be exposedjn the bath, because the defects of such apparatus increaseTWith the increase of diameter. I

The present invention has for its object to introduce improvements into apparatus of the kind referred to, by means of which the time during which the material to be treated. has to be ex osed to the galvanic bath is reduced, there y diminishing the working expenses.

The accompanying drawing illustrates a eonstru'ctiona form of the apparatus embod ing the present invention.

igure 1 is a vertiealsection, Fig. 2 is'a sectional plan view, and Fig. 3 is an end elevation.

a (Fig. 2) is the driving shaft of the apparatus which is operated by a belt pulley -0, 0- are mounted on the shaft --a-', being secured to the shaft at suitable intervals one from the other in such a mannet that they can be disfplaced longitudinally and fixed on the she 50 Parallel with the driving shaft 0 ,a second shaft d is arranged on which three gear wheels -e -e- -e'- are displaceably mounted in a similar manner to the gear wheels on the shaft --'a,- with which they correspond in size; the gear wheels on the two shafts are adapted to be engaged in accordance with various requirements. The two shafts aa'nd-dare carried in bearings -f fixed on U shaped irons. These U irons are arranged parallel one with the other in the longitudinal direction over the vessel --A- containing the electrolyte.

Additional bearings ,-g'- --g"-- (Fig. 1) are )referabl arranged at the lower part of the two U irons immersed in the bath. Gear wheels hh'-- h"- or the like are rotatably mounted in these hearings, their planes of rotation corresponding with those of the wheels -0 and e-. These systems of wheels are adapted to rotate endless chains 2' -z of any, suitable kind, bands, or their equivalents, in a plane which is erpendicular to the surface of the electro ytic bath. The chain -iwhich corresponds to the system of wheels 0- --e- -hcarries on its links, at appropriate intervals one from the other, a number of clamping devices --Z- --l'- -l" and so forth directed in accordance with the plane of movement of the other chains and serving for clamping the inner anodes. The other two chains 71- z'" which correspond to the two other systems of wheels, carry on their links annular suspension devices -m--m'- m,"-

and so on and n,- -n-- --n-- n"' and so on, corresponding in number and position to the clamping devices -Z--; the direction of these suspension devices likewise coincides with the plane of movement of the corresponding chains.

The tubes or rods .that are to be galvanized are introduced into two corresponding rings mr and '-n on the two chains -l"- by which they are conveyed shifted relatively to each other along the driving shaft and similarly the bearings for the shafts and the lower wheels with the suspension bearings are displaceable in the longitudinal direction, so that the shaft bearings and gear wheels. chains or the like wheels and chains constitute a group which is displaceableintegrally. The object ofthis arrangement is to enable the same apparatus to be usedfor any normal length of tube or rod. With tubes of great length 1t 1s advantageous to provide another group of chains so that the articles to be galvanized carried by the chains are always located between two .rows of anodes and in as close proximity thereto as possible both during their upward and downward travel. Obviously, when this appears to be desirable, two rows of anodes instead of one can be arranged in the interval between the chains in such a manner that the material to begalvanized is always situated between a pair of anodes both on the admission and on the delix ery side and as close thereto as possible.

The advantages of the arrangement in accordance withthe present invention are as follows: In the first place the driving shafts are located entirely outside the electrolyte sothat these very important parts of the apparatus are never exposed to the harmful influence of the electrolytic bath. Then the arrangement of the suspension devices for the material to be galvanized, which are preferably constructed as rings fixed to an endless chain, enable the bath to receive a greater charge and also. render it possible to increase the charge as desired merely by adding new links provided with rings as a only the depth of the vessel A need be increased, which does not present any difficulty either in the case of wood or cement tanks. Owing to the possibility of enlarging the plant in this simple manner imp ort-ant advantages are obtained: 1. An economy of space, because increasing the depth of the tank presents no difliculties while any increase in the size of a disk apparatus necess'itates lateral extension and consequently complete alterations of the tank and-chamber. 2. An iin ortant increase in the output of the plant without the necessity for more space so that any installation can be run for years with the same plant. 3. The larger the plant the more convenient'the operation, as the installation of the baths remains the same, the. only difference being that more workmen are required.

As the material to be galvanized must necessarily run for a certain time between two parallel outer rows of anodes and as further, owing to the form of the suspension devices, the said articles also rotate continuously about themselves, during the vertical part of the path all the surfaces of the material tobe galvanized are uniformly subjected to the action of the anodes so that the galvanizing proceeds uniformly and perfectly in every way. In the case of large apparatus the tubes can likewise be given a continuous movement of rotation the inner surface of t the rings being made rotatable and provided with gear wheels which-during the vertical movement strike on tappets arranged laterally on the guides of the lower wheels.

As already stated above the arrangement of the chains for both electrodes is slmilar. The inner anodes p which consists of thin metal rods arranged inside the tubes to be galvanized and fixed to the clamping devices L- of the chain z' are always held at the proper height during the operation. Any usual commercial" length of tube or rod requires'only three chains with this arrangement, two of them (the chains iand z') carrying the suspension means for the material to be galvanized. For specially long tubes an anode guide can be arranged at each end of the apparatus. It is therefore sufficient to displace the devices arranged on the U irons and driving the chains, in the longitudinaldirection so that the same apparatus may be used for any length of tube or rod.

Another advantage obtained by means of this apparatus is that owing to the arrangement of the drivingshaft at an adequate height above the level of the bath during the slow movement of the apparatus a part of the suspended material to be galvanized alternately leaves the bath completely. -This procedure proceeds for a suflicient length of time to enable the process of galvanizing to be supervised and the finished tubes to be ner: The annular suspension devices m-- 1 and n, which constitute projections from the chain links, or, which can be at- .tached thereto in any convenient manner,

may advantageously be made of an internal diameter of say- 10 centimeters so that the apparatus can be employed for any size of tube and rod up to this diameter. In the case of tubes or rods of smaller diameter, two or more of them may advantageously be assembled loosely and carriedby a single pair of rings. VVhentubes are to be galvanized which present a larger diameter than 10 cm. the apparatus can be furnished with rings of correspondingly larger diameter which can readily be substituted for the normal rings. The metal parts immersed in the electrolyte are preferablyv protected by a suitable insulating substance. In applying this; rotecting substance of course those parts are omitted which must necessarily constitute the contacts for the production of the galvanizingprocess. Thus foix 'exa n 1e the inner edges of the suspension devices or the articles to be galvanized and also the contact faces and contact points between the chain links and the teeth of the wheels should not be insulated. The lower wheels entering the bath may advantageously consist of non-conducting material so that usea less deposits and loss of current are prevented. The driving shaft -ais connected with the negative pole of the circuit. The gear wheels -c* and -c-- which drive the chains with the suspension means for the material to be galvan zed, are fixed to the said shaft Without any insulation, while the wheel -0 which serves for driving the chain carrying the suspensions for the inner anodes, is fixed in a well-insulated manner upon the said driving shaft -a.-. This wheel is connected with the positive pole of the circuit.- The rods which constitute the anodes for internal galvanizing should likewise be insulated in a suitable known manner. The middle and the lateral anodes are likewise insulatedthe former suepended in the U irons and the latter on the copper conductors which are insulated from the side walls of the vessel. should be connected u with the positive pole of the circuit. T e chain which presents the suspensions for the internal anodes is also preferabl suitably insu1ated.,from.

the action of the ath onlythe points forming the contact being left free. This chain These anodes may, however, also be formed of conducting material such as aluminium for example which should not be soluble in the bath.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 2- 1. In an electro lating apparatus, the combination of an e ectrolytic vat, a driving shaft, an endless carrier operated by the driving shaft, and rings attached to the endless carrier and supporting the objects to be electroplated.

2. In an electroplating apparatus, a vat, a driving shaft, a pair of gear wheels carried by the driving shaft, a pair of endless chains actuated by the ear wheels, rings attached to said chains, ollow tubes supported in said rin anodes lying within the hollow tubes, 1n combination with an auxiliary chain actuated by the driven shaft and carryin the inner anodes at the same rate of spec as the hollow tubes.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FEDERIOO WERTH. 

